Improvement in apparatus and processes for treating petroleum



S.- VAN SYCKEL. Apparatus and PrucesSes for Treating Petroleum No.143,945.. Patented0ct.21,1873.

,WFPJESS ESL S c M I if i 26 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

,SAMUEL VAN svoxnn, or TITUSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS AND PROCESSES FOR TREATING PETROLEUM.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 143,945, dated Octoberi1, 1673; application filed July 8, 1873.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, SAMUEL VAN SYcKnL, of Titusville, in the county ofCrawford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Apparatus and Process for Treatment of Petroleum; and Ido gas, so as to bring the oil under treatment to a highfire-test,without the production during the saidprocess of benzine,rhigoline, gasoline, or other light condensable' liquids usuallyproduced during the first stages of the distillation of petroleum; or,if desired, theyprocess can be used for the separation of those lighterproducts at such gravity or gravities as may be required.

. To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvement, Iwill proceed to describe its construction and mode of operation,referring for that purpose to the drawing hereunto annexed, in which-Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of my improvedapparatus. Fig. 2 is a cross section through as m of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is alike section through y y of Fig. 1 5 and Fig. at shows the ejector inthe gaspipe.

. Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

. In Fig. 1-, a is a cylindrical vessel, made of boiler-iron or othersuitable material, of a height-of from thirty to fifty feet, and adiameter from one to 'four feet. These and other dimensions given inthisspecification are merely for the purpose of illustration, and may bevaried according to the desired capacity of the apparatus and thecondensing power which may be desired.- This cylinder is placed in avertical position. From a point about onethird in height from the bottomof the cylinder is placed the horizontal diaphragm b, and near the topof the cylinder is a similar hori zontaldiaphragm, 0. These diaphragmsare perforated by a series of apertures, in which are placed verticalpipes or flues e, from one to two inches in diameter, which open throughthese diaphragms, forming a frcecommunica tion between the chamber cl atthe top of the cylinder and the space f at the lower end. This series offlues 0 between the diaphragms b and 0 forms a condensing-chamber, andthe space between the diaphragm and outside the pipes is to be filledwith cold water, which flows in at a pipe, 9, near the top of thecondensingspace, below the diaphragm c, and flows out at a pipe, 9, nearthe bottom of the condensing-space, and above the diaphragm b, whichpipe g may be extended up outside of the cylinder a to a point a littlebelow the inflow water'pipe 9, so as to preserve the water in thecondensing-chamber to a level a fewinches only below the upper diaphragm0,- or the same outflow of gas-pipe 7c is introduced a steam-jet,

I, Fig. 4., for the purpose of aiding the outflow of gas and drawing itoff from the gas-chamber d. The pipe 70 is extended horizontally orotherwise, so as to conduct the permanent gas to a gas-receiver, or, ifdesired, directly to some point where it is desired to be utilized asfuel or otherwise. In place of the steam-jet in the pipe k, avacuum-pump may be used, if desired. Near the bottom of the cylinder ata man-head may be made, for the purpose of entering the cylinder forcleaning or repairs. The lower end of the cylinder a is closed by ahead, a, of cast-iron orboiler-plate, bolted to the cylinder, in thecenter of which is introduced a vertical pipe, 0, of sufficient diameterto carry off the oil after having been treated in the apparatus,

and this vertical pipe 0 communicates, near its lower end,-with a pipe,which rises up outside of the cylinder a to a height of from two to fourfeet above the lower plate a of the cylinder a, so as to preserve at alltimes, during theoperatiOn of the apparatus, a quantity of oil of fromtwo to four feet in depth in the cyl inder. The oil to be treated isintroduced into the cylinder below the lower diaphragm b of thecondensing-chamber through one or more supply-pipes, g, which lead fromthe tank or other vessel containing oil to be treated. Below thesupply-pipe q, and above the highest point of the outflow-pipe p, isintroduced an air-pipe, r, for the purpose of admitting atmospheric airoutside into the cylinder a. At about or below the level of the top ofthe outflow-pipe p, which will be about the level of the'surface of theoil in the cylinder a, are introduced one or more steam-pipes, 8. Thatportion of the pipe or pipes s which is within the cylinder a isperforated with. a number of fine holes for the purpose of allowing theescape of naked steam into the oil under treatment.

The operation of the apparatus which I have described is as follows: Thecondensing-chamber between the diaphragms b and c, and around the lines6, is supplied with a current of cold water through the pipe g, which,as it becomes heated, continually flows out at the pipe g. Crude oil isallowed to flow in continuously through the supply-pipe q, and stands inthe lower part of the cylinder a at or about the height of the top ofthe outflow-pipe 1). Steam at the ordinary temperature is introducedfrom a steam-boiler or other steam-generator to the pipe or pipes s, andescapes freely into the body of the oil under treatment, the effect ofwhich is that permanent gas is evolved, which, rising up, passes throughthe flues 0 into the gas-chamber d, and thence is drawn off by means ofthe steam jet or vacuum pump through the pipe 70. The oil thus relievedof its permanent gas flows off through the pipes o and p. The length oftime during which it is subjected to this treatment will depend, ofcourse, upon the rapidity with which the oil is supplied through thepipe g.

In an apparatus of the size which I have described, the oil may beflowed in through the pipe (1 at the rate of about a barrel a minute.But no specific time can be stated during which the oil ought to betreated, as the result will depend upon the length of treatment and theheat of the steam used, which will have to be varied according to theresult desired to be attained, and the size of the apparatus used.

By increasing the size of the machine, the rapidity with which the oilcan be treated may be increased; and if the supply is kept up constantlythrough the pipe q, the operation will be continuous.

In case it is desired to use my apparatus so as not only to remove thepermanent gas, but also to produce benzine, gasoline, or other lightliquid products from the oil, the apparatus used is the same as I havealready described, with the exception that an additional condensingapparatus, m, is employed outside of the apparatus already described,for the purpose of condensing the lighter eondensable vapors, and theprocess which I have described is varied in this case by keeping thecondensingchamber between the diaphragms b and c in the apparatus I havedescribed at a higher and c in my apparatus, I am enabled to ob-- tainlighter products of petroleum, such as benzine, gasoline, 850., at anygravity which may be required, and in greater quantity than can beobtained by any other known process; or, if preferred, as I have alreadystated, the process may be carried on so as to produce no eondensablevapors, but permanent gas only, the result in either case on the crudepetroleum being to deprive it of its lighter ingredients, and bringit-down to a high fire test.

One of the advantages of my process is that the requisite amount of gasto supply fuel for the boilers and stills of a distillery may be at alltimes produced by treating crude oil at such times and in suchquantities as the demand for fuel may indicate; as I have ascertained tobe a fact, that the quantity of per manent gas produeible by my processfrom crude petroleum,and which ought to be removed therefrom in order tobring it to the requisite fire test, is, in ordinary cases, amplysufficient to supply all the fuel required for the conducting theprocess of distillation, and the generation of the amount of steamrequired for car rydng on an oil-refinery.

In that part of the operation in which only oil and fixed gas areproduced, the condenser is of such height that practically all oily vapors will be condensed and fall back into the space f. To this end theoil in the chamber f should, by the steam which is admitted, be kept ata temperature of about 180 Fahrenheit, and the condenser should be suchthat the vapors and gas will, on entering the chamber d, be brought downto say 60 or 80 Fahrenheit, atwhich temperature they will containlittleor no oil.

By this process none of the oily matter is wasted in the form ofgasoline or benzine, a larger quantity and better quality of oil issecured, the operation is carried on continuously and more rapidly, andthe fixed gases are utilized as fuel.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The process hereinbefore described of treating crude petroleum withthe resultant product of only oil and gas, by effecting the condensationof the oleaginous vapors, and the immediate return of the condensedproduct to the body of oil in the treating-chamber, and carrying overonly the uncondensable gases, substantially as set forth.

2. The arrangement of the condensing apparatus described above, thetreating-chan1ber, with a direct communication from the latter throughthe former, and in suitable position for the direct reflow of thecondensed product, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a vertical chamber, f, for treating crude oil,furnished at or near its lower end with a pipe or pipes for theadmission of steam, and a condensing-chamber arranged above, withcondensing-pipes for condensing the oily vapors, and a gas-pipe from thedome or chamber above for carrying off the uncondensed gases,substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the treating-chamber, the condensing apparatusabove, the gas-pipe and steanrjet or vacuum apparatus, arranged andcombined substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of the treating-chamber f, condensing-fines e, pipeis, condenser m, and jet-pipe 1, arranged substantially as set forth.

6. In combination with the oil-treating and condensingcolumn a, thesupply-pipe g, the delivery-pipe p, and one or more steam-pipes s,substantiallyas described. v

In testimony whereof I, the said SAMUEL VAN SYOKEL, have hereunto set myhand.

SAMUEL VAN SYOKEL.

\Vitnesses T. B. KERR, G. H. OHRIsrY.

